Guatemalan President Dismisses a Close Aide

MEXICO CITY — Facing a political crisis that has led to mass demonstrations and calls for his resignation, President Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala shook up his cabinet on Thursday, dismissing one of his closest ministers.

Interior Minister Mauricio López Bonilla, the former chief of Mr. Pérez Molina’s presidential campaign and a top-ranking member of the governing party, departed along with the environmental minister, Michelle Martínez, and the chief of strategic intelligence, Ulises Anzueto. Local news media said other ministers had stepped down or were about to, but those reports could not be immediately confirmed.

Vice President Roxana Baldetti resigned May 8 after her private secretary was linked to a wide-ranging corruption case in the Customs Department. On Wednesday, the president of the central bank, Julio Suárez, and Mr. Pérez Molina’s former private secretary were detained in a corruption investigation of the Social Security Department.

Mr. Pérez Molina, who leaves office in January, said the resignations would help restore faith in the government.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: Cabinet Shake-Up in Guatemala. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe